The first cargo train carrying 51 containers traveled
10,214 kilometers from the central Chinese industrial hub of
Zhengzhou and arrived today in Hamburg, Europe’s third-biggest
port. The train took 15 days compared to the 30 to 40 days
container ships need on the Asia-Europe route, the company said.

“It is not only the type of goods that are changing but
also the means of transport,” Chief Executive Officer Ruediger Grube said at a welcoming ceremony in Hamburg. “If you look at
the 66 billion euros ($87 billion) worth of goods exported to
China from Germany per year and the 77 billion euros imported
from China and compare it to the zero-point something of market
share Bahn has, you can see what kind of potential there is.”

Companies handling freight moved by air, sea or train are
vying for the fastest trade routes, while struggling with
subdued demand amid the longest recession in the euro area since
the single currency was introduced in January 1999.

Deutsche Bahn’s DB Schenker cargo unit, which has 45
offices and about 5,000 employees in China, operated its first
trains between China and Europe in 2008 and started regular
services on that route three years ago, Grube said.

Starting with a weekly train between Zhengzhou and Hamburg,
traveling through China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Poland,
Schenker plans to expand the service depending on demand, he
said. “Our goal is a daily service,” Grube said.

The overland route is particularly interesting for the
electronics and automotive industry because the value lost on
goods such as engines and computer components during the longer
sea journey is relatively high, Grube said.

Hamburg’s head of economic affairs Frank Horch said at the
ceremony that shipping companies and train operators on the
Europe-Asia route are complementary, with train services more
efficient at transporting goods produced in central China, away
from the coast.